Juventus vs Valencia
Juventus’ last Champions League game at the Allianz Stadium didn’t go as planned. Now, they must respond and get the job done if they want to secure the top spot in Group H and a place in the next round.
The Italian champions could have had qualified for the knockout rounds earlier this month, but two late goals from Manchester United erased their lead and brought them to a three-way battle against the Red Devils and Valencia.
Sure enough, they are still the top team in the group and look unlikely to drop out of the qualifying places. However, they know anything is possible and cannot get overconfident, especially against a team like Valencia who are fighting for survival.
Talking Points
Juventus, back to their old, usual selves?
Juventus made the Champions league 2018 news headlines before the international break, and for all the wrong reasons.
The Bianconeri were on the receiving end of an embarrassing turnaround in the tournament. During their Matchday 4 battle with Manchester United, Juventus went ahead 1-0 after Cristiano Ronaldo scored on 65 minutes. However, Jose Mourinho’s charges battled back and scored two goals in the final four minutes of regular time to win 1-2.
That shocking result blew the race wide open, with the Red Devils getting a shot at topping Group H and Valencia staying alive—albeit with slim chances of qualifying.
Fortunately for Juve, they seem to have already moved on from the defeat and have returned to regular programming. In fact, they have now won back-to-back Serie A games with a 2-0 scoreline, including a comfortable victory over top-five rivals AC Milan.
Juventus boss Max Allegri even claimed that their defeat to United motivated them in their win over Milan, emphasizing that the team had a “good response.”
“Losing against Manchester United has done us good and tonight it was a good response from the team,” Allegri said after their win over the Rossoneri. “We were a bit shell-shocked by the result on Wednesday but the boys went on the attack straight away in this game.”
It remains to be seen if Juventus can replicate their domestic success in European competition, but hopes are undoubtedly high that they won’t flop this time around.
Watch out for Ronaldo…and Dybala!
As usual, Ronaldo will be the man in the spotlight for the Old Lady of Italy. The former Real Madrid star is currently on a three-game scoring streak in all competitions and just became the fastest player in club history to reach 10 goals in their victory over SPAL.
Making matters more interesting, Ronaldo was sent off in their previous meeting with Valencia. The 33-year-old was given a straight red less than 30 minutes into the game, so he certainly wants to prove something here.
Nonetheless, Valencia can’t focus only on the Portuguese … not with Paulo Dybala also on the rise.
Dybala has only two goals in the Italian top flight and six overall this campaign, but he had a spectacular stint in his recent international duty for Argentina.
In La Albiceleste’s doubleheader against Mexico, the 25-year-old striker had one assist and scored once—his first-ever international goal for the national team. He has been a consistent threat for the Argentines as well and was just a little unlucky not to add more to his tally.
Valencia have been solid defensively in their past few matches, but they are expected to have trouble stopping the frontcourt of Ronaldo and Dybala.
Valencia, difficult to beat on the road
If there’s one silver lining for the Spanish side, it’s the fact that they are proving to be the ultimate away opponents.
Marcelino’s men have only lost once on the road this 2018-19 campaign, during their first away match of the year against Espanyol. They haven’t lost since then, compiling a record of three wins and five draws in all competitive road matches.
Moreover, Valencia are riding a three-game winning run, sparked by their dominant 3-1 performance against Young Boys in the Champions League.
They really need to win this one if they want any chance of survival. A draw would put Juventus through and leave Valencia with little to no chance of coming back, especially if Manchester United win over Young Boys.
History
The only meeting between the two clubs was their UCL fixture last September. As mentioned, Ronaldo was sent off in that game, but Juve still won comfortably behind two penalties from Miralem Pjanic.
Valencia would hope that their recent performances on the road can make the difference for them. They will also be confident knowing for a fact that Juve have only won once in their last five UCL matches at Turin, drawing twice and losing the other two.
Betting Tip
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Juventus vs Valencia | Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.96 |
| November 28, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
First things first, I’m not betting against Juventus on this one. The Champions League 2018 odds at SBOBET are clear: Juve have the advantage and are one of the favourites to contend for the title.
They have too much quality and it’s hard to see them dropping points against a far weaker opponent that has been struggling domestically.
There’s little value betting on a Juventus win though. With that said, I’m putting the smart money on a bet for 2-3 goals—with the game likely to end 2-0 or 2-1.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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